Posts from the ‘Printing’ Category

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Many times artwork is beautifully laid out and very pleasing to the eye. But while the design looks great, one important aspect has been over looked… do the folds work?

There are three things to think through; orientation, position and avoid cracking.

Orientation: While modern folding machines are very efficient and make clean crisp folds, don’t assume that they can make every type of fold you can envision. When you have complex folds that will go in more than one direction, it’s best to check the folding machine can handle the folds you want.

Origami Crane folded with a red floral pattern paper

Position: The position of a fold can cause problems in several ways. For example, you sent your beautifully designed flyer to be printed and when you get the flyers back you are horrified to find out that one of the folds goes right through the head of your company’s CEO. Always printout and fold a mock-up before it goes to print. The mock-up is also a good way to check the fold sequence and make sure that each panel is positioned properly. If your address panel is not positioned properly, your postage costs can go up dramatically. Lastly, when doing multiple roll folds you need to make each consecutive panel slightly smaller to allow for the fold.

Cracking: A fold can cause cracking across it for a number of reasons, including the thickness of the stock, grain of the paper, and ink coverage on the fold. If you are printing on cover weight stock, you most likely will need the paper to be scored before it is folded. If the quantity you are printing lends itself to digital printing, cracking can be an even bigger problem. Since toner is applied by heat, it’s best to not have any toner on the lines of the folds. Sometimes you have no choice but to have toner run across the folds. When this occurs, options such as paper brand, finish and the position of the grain can be used to help cut down on cracking.

As always, your FNBR representative will be happy to help guide you to avoid the problems discussed above. Call us at 888-988-8148 or email info@fnbr.com

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All mailing campaigns begin with printing. The following are three helpful hints to make the printing portion of your mailing easier and save you money.

Planning Ahead– This is so basic that you would think that it’s hardly worth mentioning, but the fact is nothing could be farther from the truth. Allowing enough time for both the design and the printing can be a major factor in lowering your print costs. Many times, the delivery date of a printed item is set in stone because the printed material is time sensitive. When this is the case, allowing ample time for the design and print schedules will save you both stress and money. Specialized processes such as letter press scores, die cutting or UV coatings add additional time to the schedule and need to be allotted for. If you are not sure how much time is needed, let your FNBR representative guide you through the scheduling.

Size Matters– Size impacts both the amount of paper used and your postage rates. During the concept stage of your design, take a minute to speak with your FNBR representative. Many times a slight adjustment in the size of your mailer can save money. From a printing stand point, a small change in the size of the card may allow more cards to be printed per sheet lowering your print costs. When it comes to postal regulations, sometimes a minor change in either the height or the width can change a flat size mailer into a letter size mailer and greatly reduce postage rates.

Electronic Proofs – PDF’s are cheap, easily produced, and ideal for proofing text. Let’s say multiple departments need to approve an item before it goes to print. You can send everyone that needs to approve your mailer a PDF proof prior to sending the art files to the printer. This way, all necessary text changes can be made before a more expensive hi-resolution hard copy proof is produced just prior to printing. Producing multiple hi-resolution hard copy proofs for text changes only is an avoidable expense.

Every print job starts as an idea and ends as a tangible printed item. At FNBR, our job is to smoothly guide you through that journey and save you money. You don’t have to be a print expert… but it certainly helps that you know one!

About FNBR Incorporated

FNBR is a marketing company located in Tampa, Florida. We provide printing, direct mail, mailing lists, database management, graphic design, web design, and email marketing services to companies throughout the U.S.

FNBR can be reached at info@fnbr.com or toll free 1-888-988-8148.

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From concept to delivery by the post office, many details need to be taken into consideration when designing a mailing campaign. Some of the main areas of consideration are type of mailer to be used, full color or one ink, should you mail First Class or Standard Mail, to name a few.

One consideration that is extremely important, but often overlooked is “Time”. Many mailings are time sensitive and as such, budgeting enough time so that the mail is delivered in advance of your scheduled event or response date is imperative.

The following five steps must all be accounted for when you are trying to estimate the timeline for your mailing campaign:

Design

Proofing

Printing

Mail Preparation

Mail Delivery

The amount of time required for the design/proofing usually depends on you. It can be as little as a couple of days or as long as changes to the design continue to be made. The amount of time need for the printing and the mailing services usually falls in the 5-7 business day range. Specialty stocks and custom finishing take more time, and since each job is different, it’s always best to get an estimate for the amount of time needed from your FNBR representative.

When using this link, you must take into consideration if you are mailing First Class or Standard Mail and if your mailing list is local, regional, or national. The delivery times listed on the interactive maps are only estimates and other factors such as postal holidays, weather and high volume postal delivery periods need to be taken into consideration.

With time sensitive mail, it’s always better to budget extra time into your plans. It is better for your mail to get delivered a little before the day you prefer rather than after your event is over!

Contact FNBR at 888-988-8148 or info@fnbr.com for help with your next marketing campaign.